The present invention relates to a code recording medium in which multimedia information is recorded in a code pattern, and an information reproduction apparatus which optically reads the code pattern from the code recording medium, reconstructs and reproduces the original multimedia information from the code pattern, and outputs the multimedia information.
A conventional coding technique generally does not express a code pattern including information (so-called multimedia information) whose code content can be separated into a plurality of pieces to correspond to a plurality of types of media. Instead, the conventional coding technique expresses a code pattern of a single kind of information which includes only one type of media information and which cannot be separated.
For example, a bar code is single information of a so-called "one channel" which is entirely reproduced at once by scanning and reproducing the single kind of information included in the code, e.g., numerical information.
For example, conventional information having coded audio information and recorded in a recording medium such as a sheet surface is reproduced into only a monophonic voice. That is, the conventional code is not recorded in a code pattern which is separable into a plurality of channels (so-called "multi-channels"), e.g., into right and left channels such as a stereophonic voice.
Conventionally, there is no reproduction apparatus capable of reproducing a patterned multichannel code like the one described above in correspondence with multimedia.
In recent years, multipurpose reproduction apparatuses, e.g., multipurpose output apparatuses have become available, which appeal to not only the visual and hearing senses of man by, e.g., an audio output, an image output, and a printing output, but also the other senses of the five senses of man. A demand has arisen, therefore, to output information in various forms.
With this demand, coding techniques are required to generate a code pattern that can be selectively reproduced and output in a plurality of types of output forms, i.e., a so-called "multichannel code". At the same time, an information reproduction apparatus which can reproduce and output such multichannel code in a plurality of types of desired forms is in demand.
As described above, the conventional information reproduction apparatus for performing conversion of a code using a single channel and reconstruction for the code cannot convert a code using a plurality of channels, i.e., conversion of a so-called multichannel code corresponding to a multipurpose reproduction/output apparatus for advanced multimedia, and cannot reproduce the multichannel information.
As a result, various types of media information and various new coding techniques corresponding to these media have recently been required.